IGX

That's cool, Hagbard. I own, and have read, What The Buddha Taught along with some stuff by the Dolly Llama. I also have, but haven't read, Against The Stream by Noah Levine. I'll check out the other texts you listed.

Thanks!

Hagbard wrote:Zen is, at best, a corrupt derivation of buddhism. Sakyamuni shows a cat a flower and everybody starts catchin' feelins.

heh.

More seriously; reading about zen without understanding the basic buddhist program does not strike me as particularly helpful.

The Four Noble Truths, Eightfold Path, Three Characteristics and the process of Dhyana and Vipassana (concentration and insight) are some of the basics.

What the Buddha Taught (Rapola), Old Path, White Clouds (Hanh) and Mastering the Core Teachings of the Buddha (Ingram, and free, by the way). Are pretty good. Zen Buddhism is buddhism; but a lot of the texts about Zen seem to put undue focus on rarefied states rather than what it took to get to and beyond them.

Hard to get to Zen or Ch'an without Tao.

The Xingyi Quan of the Chinese Army: Huang Bo Nien's Xingyi Fist and Weapon Instruction
By Huang Bo Nien, translated by Chow Hon Huen, and interpreted by Dennis Rovere

http://www.amazon.com/Xingyi-Quan-Chine ... 882&sr=8-1

This is the best Xingyi Quan book I have read in quite some time. It was originally written as a drill instructor's manual for the Nanjing Central Military Academy ca. 1931 after Huang Bo Nien became chief hand to hand combat instructor in 1929.

The material includes the 5 elements fist, knife, bayonet and saber techniques, with an emphasis on actual usage for military men. At the time, the Nationalist Chinese government was preparing for all-out war with Japan (Second Sino-Japanese War, 1947-1945), and the success of the Japanese troops had impressed on the Chinese the value of bushido-inspired martial arts in developing fitness and aggression. The recent success of Xingyi Quan practitioners in the national guoshu tournament made it a favorite among military men of the time and a natural choice for the Chinese initiative.

The book is excellent. It presents the 5 fists, the linking form, and then demonstrates how the exact same movements are used to employ knife, bayonet, and saber, the common CQC implements of the day. In that sense it has profound instructional value; few people can match Huang Bo Nien's credentials. He was the principle disciple of Li Cun Yi, himself a disciple of Guo "Divine Crushing Fist" Yunshen who was a veteran of the Boxer Rebellion. Historically, this makes it an important work, standing at the crossroads of traditional Chinese Martial Arts and modern close quarters combat instruction for contemporary warfare.

I like it, I can learn from it, and I think anyone who has some understanding of the 5 Elements Fist and XYQ fundamentals would too. Some have criticized this as "simplified" Xingyi Quan, but I'm not impressed by this analysis. In preparing people for a life or death encounter, simple is good.

Aloha!

Fat Cat wrote:I like it, I can learn from it, and I think anyone who has some understanding of the 5 Elements Fist and XYQ fundamentals would too. Some have criticized this as "simplified" Xingyi Quan, but I'm not impressed by this analysis. In preparing people for a life or death encounter, simple is good.

Hsing I is simple, but deep. The simplicity is what I've always liked about it.
I've always liked Rovere's stuff, too.
BTW, I didn't know you were a hsing i guy. Did you learn it with tai chi?

I'm really neither, I just dabble. Steve Cotter taught me the 5 elements fist and linking form and I have just done occasional research; I kinda got the itch again reading this book. I also love karate, but the only martial art I actually claim is Relson Gracie Jiujitsu.